The Memento
by Charlotte Clark
Summary: The story begins directy after Tomorrow is Another Day. Sookie and Eric must learn how to accept and live together, they must make decisions and choices that will impact the people around them.
1. Chapter 1

Her dreams in the past months had been more like nightmares. Sometimes it was Long Shadow lunging at her, eyes wide and hungry with hatred. Sometimes it was Gabe shocking her with a stun gun and almost having his way with her. When she had a really bad day it was her holding a soda can, scanning the room and her life flashing before her eyes just as it explodes. Or, her body being maimed and mangled as a wooden stake pierced through her side. And on really, really bad nights her nightmares were filled with Bill attacking her, feeding on her, raping her... and still the worst. Eric, running down the side of the road, his memory gone, his body bleeding. He would stop and look at her as she gently tried to coerce him into her car. He would turn and walk to her as if he was accepting her help, just as he had done almost one year ago. Only in her nightmare he would leap on her at the last minute, brutally attacking her and sinking his fangs into her jugular. She would always wake up in a cold sweat just as he was about to ingest the last drop of her life sustaining blood.

Not last night, last night she dreamed. She dreamed beautiful, fabulous dreams. She was flying, her arms stretched out at her sides as she felt the wind dance through her fingers. The air was intoxicating, it was exhilarating. As she stretched her arms out even further to see just how large she could feel, a hand gently covered hers and guided her through the night air. It was Eric, he was with her, holding her hand, showing her the way. It was ethereal, peaceful, it was perfect.

She had not dreamed such perfect dreams in months. Her slumber was uninterrupted. If she could see her own face as she slept she would have been able to see the smile still there. The one that graced her face the minute her mind heard the words escape Eric's lips. The word's that she had longed to hear, but had accepted would probably never happen. "I love you". He had really said it, and she knew it to be true because she..._felt_ it. In her sleep she dreamily tightened her arms around his massive body, he did the same to her, careful not to wake his sleeping beauty. He did not want to let go, he was secretly afraid that he may not feel this again. Her body wrapped in his, their pure happiness with each other. He watched as her chest rose and fell as she breathed in and out. He really did love her.

He knew his time was coming, he would have to pull himself away in order to get back before the dawn. It hurt his body to remove himself from her bed. He was able to do this so smoothly that she didn't even move. She was dreaming and he could feel this through their bond, she was truly happy. He laid a kiss on her forehead and smoothed her hair, gathered his clothes, and took a moment to write her a note.

_Lover,_

_It pains me to have to be away from you when you wake. Please know that I will be dreaming of you, and the moment I wake, I will be thinking of how quickly I can return to you. The memory of last night will forever be a part of me. I will come to you again as I know you will be tired after your evening of work. There are still things to discuss, I will be counting the minutes until we can become one again. _

_Love,_

_E_

_PS- I hope you don't mind, I decided to keep a little memento of our evening together._

He folded the note, kissed it, and placed it on the pillow right next to her. He took one last moment to take in her beauty, her silent, perfect beauty. He knew he was only delaying the inevitable, he had to leave to make sure he was safe before the sunrise. He disappeared silently, as if he had never been there. The house was once again silent. It would be several more hours until she awoke, she needed the rest after such an eventful night. Eric pulled into his drive in Shreveport a few minutes after the sun had risen, he had a very slight burn on his face because of this. Worth every bit of pain he thought, those extra minutes he got to spend next to her were far more important than his well being. He was inside and asleep for his daytime slumber within minutes, he dreamed the same dream as she.

When she began to become restless she rolled over and absently reached for him, only to snap open her eyes. "Eric...Eric" She was still half asleep. She had not yet registered that the sun was up and it was morning. "Oh, he's gone. I really was out of it. God, I had the most incredible dream." She thought as she looked around her slightly disheveled room. She spotted to folded piece of paper on the pillow and touched it as if it would disappear. She opened it up and read it, the words, his words made her entire body ache for him again. Then she read the post script. "Memento, what is he talking about. What could he have taken. There is nothing here that he even likes." She said this out loud, completely dumbfounded as to what he possibly could want.

She got up and threw on a nightgown and robe. Amelia was still out, even though it was almost 11am. She looked around her house and saw that Eric had had the courtesy to clean up the mess that they had made. The bathroom did not near look the state they had left it in. The living room had also been put back to rights. He apparently left her room as is in order to not wake or disturb her. She put on a pot of coffee and sat at the table as she impatiently waited for it the brew. Her mind absently drifted back to the previous evenings activities. For once she did not feel nervous about being with him, she felt relieved. She felt, loved. "He loves me", she said, "_He_ loves me", she said again in a different way. And finally she shouted, " He _loves _me", she was actually giddy.

As the final exclamation escaped her lips Amelia stood in the doorway, looking like the cat that ate the canary. She had been so involved in her revelation that she never even caught Amelia's brain activity in her mind. Plus, she hadn't had any coffee yet. Her cheeks flushed as Amelia had heard her shouting like a middle school girl who just picked the last petal from a daisy and it happened to land on _He loves me_, instead of _He loves me Not._

"Well, well, well. Looks like I'm not the only one who got lucky last night. So I hear He _Loves _ You" She teased her and walked over to the coffee pot. She pulled two cups from the cupboard above her head and made them both a steaming cup. She brought the cups to the table and sat down. "Spill, everything, I want _details_." She was not going anywhere until she got what she wanted.

"There really isn't that much to tell, we talked" She looked into her coffee cup and not at the witch.

"Um, excuse me. Sookie, when I came in here you were practically doing the happy dance and yelling he loves you. There is much to tell, and, if you don't tell me I'll be forced to take drastic measures." She winked at her and nodded.

"Really, you know I can take you" she laughed as she took a sip of her coffee.

"Yeah, yeah, but your no match for a truth spell. Before you know it I could have you singing like a dove. Don't make me go all witch on you."

"Alright, alright....I'll tell you. I hate you for this, but, I'm dying to tell someone. Amelia, it was incredible, he was incredible. We were so honest, it was....cleansing. We talked about everything that had happened between us." She daydreamed at the memory of the past night.

"Yup, talked, whatever, I want to know about the sex. How was it? Was it as great as you remembered? Was it worth the wait?" She interrupted her and cut right to the chase

"Amelia, how do you know I had sex with him? Maybe we talked all night. Maybe he left and decided that we were better off waiting." She was a little irritated.

"I can tell when someone has had there fair share of..._attention_. You look like an entirely new person, you look more rested than I have seen you in months. You look....happy and relaxed. There is nothing wrong with the fact the you had sex with him, it's about time. You needed it, and from what I hear, so did he." Her words were gentle and they were true.

"Thanks for noticing, did I really look that hard up?" She thought about her recent appearance. "Anyway...the sex was amazing. It was better than I remember, it was absolutely perfect. Oh, the things we did...is that enough for you" She hoped so because she was blushing and was never fully comfortable discussing such personal acts with other people.

"I suppose it will do, for now. I'll get more out of you later. Don't you worry. Now, what about this love stuff. Tell me about that." Her eyes were bright with the story that awaited her ears.

"Well, earlier in the night he had told me that we could be happy again and that he could love me." Amelia's hand went to her heart and she let out a romantic breath. "Wait, it's get better. Many hours later..." She winked at her to let her know how those hours had been spent, "we were in my bed and I was so tired. We were laying there and he was holding me. It was so nice Amelia. I was almost out of it and he kissed me, he whispered in my ear that he wasn't honest with me." Amelia started to move in her seat afraid of what she was about to say. "He said that when he said he could love me he was lying, and that the truth was that he already did. He told me he loved me". Her eyes were tearing with the memory of his words in her mind, the way they sounded and the way her body felt as she heard them. "Amelia, he told me he loves me", she was so happy.

"Sookie, that is amazing. Of course you said it back and then you made love until he had to leave, right?" She waited for what she thought was the obvious response.

"Well, not exactly. I kind of fell asleep, and I mean asleep. I didn't wake up until like twenty minutes before you got home." She was very matter of fact.

"The big, gorgeous viking told you he loved you and you go to sleep? Sookie, I hope your only excuse was that you were just so worn out from all of the nights sexcapades. Tell me you didn't have one of your mental debates involving the pro's and con's of saying the words back? Tell me you didn't, please." She pleaded with her eyes and her mental broadcasting. _I know she's not that stupid Must have been the sex He'd tire me out too I wonder if they had sex on this table, Ew_

"Amelia, it was complete and total exhaustion. Besides, do you really think if he thought that I was ignoring his declaration of love he would have really let me go to sleep. This is Eric were talking about. Think about it, no way." She reassured her.

"OK, good to hear. Did you tell him about Hunter? Did you talk about what you're going to do about that?"

"No, I started to, but he wasn't in the mood to talk. He wanted me to rest, guess he knew how much I needed it." She got up from the table and walked towards the bathroom. "Oh, and Amelia..no, we didn't have sex on that table. At least not last night." She winked at her and closed the bathroom door.


	2. Chapter 2

She enjoyed her shower immensely, the water soothed her sore muscles and she could be alone with her thoughts about the night before. She was together enough to put her shields up so as to not here the broadcaster that now lived under her roof. Every room Amelia walked into she was thinking what she and Eric may or may not have done there. Active imagination that one. Eric had done a fantastic job cleaning up the mess. To the naked eye no one would have guessed that she had enjoyed the most incredible orgasm of her life right there on the bathroom floor. Her face was hot, not to mention some other area's as she thought about the words they had exchanged in the heat of the moment.

She was working the swing shift today at Merlotte's, not lunch and not quite dinner, but a combination of the two. It wasn't her favorite shift, but she would be home earlier than the expected 1:30am that was the usual from working dinner. Her note from Eric had read that he would be coming to her again tonight, she was relieved. She came out of the bathroom to get her clothes ready for work and she spied the note on her nightstand. She walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge of it, took the note in her hand and reread it. She held it against her heart and thought about everything he had said to her. "Memento, memento, memento" she was hung up on what he took.

She dressed quickly and had her hair and make up done even quicker, she was never one to fuss over such minimal details. Not worth the time and effort she always thought. She came downstairs and saw Amelia reading on the couch.

"You working that funny shift today, Sook?" She asked, barely looking up from her latest novel.

"Yup, I'm taking off in a few. You coming down to the bar later for a few drinks?" She asked

"Thinking about it. Maybe if I do it will give Sam an excuse to ask me to fill in a little again. Oh, something came for you when you were in the shower. I left it in the kitchen." She smiled at her and watched as she walked slowly to see what awaited her. Before her on the kitchen table were 2 dozen blood red calla lilies arranged in a crystal vase. She had never seen such a deep red in a flower before. She grabbed the cared and ripped it from its envelope.

_Lover,_

_Roses are too common for someone such as yourself. You are too rare and too special to have everyday things sent to you. Bring one of these to work with you so you can be reminded of me every time you see it. I have the memento I took from your house with me right now to remind me of you. I will see you soon, dreaming of you._

_Love,_

_E_

"When the hell did he have time to order these" She thought out loud and almost bitterly. She never really liked it when he spent money on her.

"Sookie, who cares, look at these, they are amazing. Besides, he probably owns the florist shop or something crazy like that. Can you leave them here, so I can look at them too, or are you going to be selfish and lock them up in your room?" Her eyes were fixed on the blooms.

"How about we share, I'll leave most of them here, and take a few for my room. They are beautiful, aren't they. Really, when do you think he had time to order these? He would have left here before dawn, and there ain't no flower shop I can think of that's open at that hour." She paused on her words, " Do you think he had this whole thing planned? That he knew I'd give in last night?" Her face was turning from it's admiring, gentle gaze to a more pissed off, and irritated look.

"Again with the questions, just be happy someone bought you flowers." Amelia was already retrieving a ceramic vase from under the sink to make sure she made good on her offer to share.

"I am happy, it just makes me wonder, that's all" There was also the mention of this memento again. She casually looked around the house. She began pulling a few of the stems out of the crystal and rearranging them into the much less sophisticated vase. "Hey, have you noticed anything missing?" She looked at Amelia as innocently as possible. "I'm not talking like a stereo or DVD player here, but something smaller. Something that I might not notice."

Amelia looked at her and didn't blink. She wasn't sure if she was accusing Eric of lifting something from the house without permission, or maybe she misplaced something, or maybe she was just plain crazy. Shit, she was going to have to elaborate.

"See Eric left me a note when he left this morning. You know, can't wait to see you again, thinking about you, yadda, yadda, yadda, oh and PS I took something as a memento...hope you don't mind. The problem is I have no idea what he took. He mentions it again on this card with the flowers. It's like he wants me to think about it, but knows I won't be able to figure it out." She was annoyed.

"Oh... he is just a huge, romantic, blood sucking, vampire, viking. You are a lucky girl, Sookie Stackhouse." She meant every word. "And, no, I have no idea what he could have taken. The place looks right as rain to me. If I can think of anything I'll call you at work, sound good to you."

"OK, I'm off, don't you dare take the rest of these flowers and put them in your room with one of those crazy ward spells." She smiled at her as she exited her bedroom from placing the vase by her bedside. On her way out the door, against her better judgment, she grabbed a stem from the vase and took it with her to work, just as the card had requested. She smiled at the flower as she pulled out of her drive and headed down the road to Merlotte's.

"Hey Sam, lunch been busy? Sorry I'm a couple minutes late, won't happen again." She was disappointed that she walked in five minutes late. Sam knew she had met with Eric last night and she did not want him to think that was going to be her excuse for becoming habitually tardy.

"No problem, not like this is a habit for you. Yup, been pretty steady, should shape up to be a good night. How did last night, you look to be in one piece." He smiled, knowing she would only tell him as much as she felt comfortable with.

"It went...well. We talked, cleared a few things up. I'd say that we are definitely on better terms today than we were a day ago. There's some other stuff that we need to get to, that will come in time I guess." She smiled when she thought about that. _Time_...they would have time together. She took the flower and put it near her bag behind the bar. Sam saw the bloom and nodded towards it.

"Let me guess, special delivery from him".

"Yup, delivered right before I was leaving to come here. That's why I was late. I needed to beat Amelia off of them with a stick to make sure she didn't play finders keepers." She laughed. It was so easy to talk to Sam, even if it was about another man.

"Looks like he has great taste." He said this looking at her and not at the flower. She took that as her queue to smile politely and start her work day. She knew Sam had feelings for her, she just couldn't return them the way he had hoped for.

Lunch was a bit busier than expected. There were the regulars that were there everyday of the, ordering the same food, making the same polite conversation. Then there were some businessmen that came in to have a meeting over beer's. From what she could read they were talking money, real estate, they wanted to put a new strip mall in Bon Temps. One that had a video store, nail salon, liquor store, run of the mill stuff. One of the men was more of a broadcaster than the others. He was not a very proper gentleman. _I wonder if that's the blond that was screwing that vamp Nice rack Think she screws regular guys now that she's gone all dead dick Nice rack Nice ass._ Not a gentleman at all. She dropped his beer in front of him and glared at him in a way that said,"Shut your dirty, filthy mouth." His eyes did not look her way for the rest of their visit to Merlotte's. She had a lot of practice learning how to perfect that look, the look that told anyone that she knew what they were thinking without her actually having to say a word.

After the businessmen left another big group came in, this time women. This group had been in before, they were like a monthly book club that goes out once a month to discuss this months can't miss novel over fries and sweet tea. Most of them were just fine as could be, but for some reason there was always one in the group that just didn't sit well with her. She was a clear broadcaster and she did not approve of the life that she had been living. _That girl is going straight to hell allowing demons to touch her turns my stomach her grandmother would be rolling over in her grave poor child looks like she's put on a few pounds_.

"Can I get you another sweet tea? Or maybe something... lighter, a diet coke maybe?" The last comment about her putting on a few pounds seemed to bother her most. "You know, the fried chicken sandwich basket you ordered, I can ask the cook if he can grill that instead." Her smile was as bright as the sun. She walked away before the woman even knew what to say.

She walked behind the bar to get some drinks and looked at her flower, she felt the tension drain right out of her shoulders. She was used to this kind of shit, just a different day, thats all. She glanced at the clock on the wall. It was almost 6:00, the day had flown by. She would be leaving within the next couple of hours. She could feel the hum of him stirring in her mind, she was instantly more comfortable. She hadn't even noticed the group of FotS members sitting in the corner booth.

"Thank god there in Arlene's section. I can't even stand to look at them, they just creep me out." Sam was standing next to her so he heard her whisper. "Sam, why do you let them come here, you know they're just doing it to cause trouble." She was looking him right in the eye.

"Sookie, this group hasn't done anything to threaten anyone here inside this bar. Yup, they're a bunch of fanatics that have no class, but until something happens, they're paying customers." He looked at her to make sure his words did not sound like he was disregarding her feelings.

"OK, but I'm warning you, if any of them say anything nasty to me, whether they say it to myself or not, I'm not responsible for what I do. You remember that." She pat him on the shoulder as she walked past him to deliver a new round of drinks to one of her tables.


	3. Chapter 3

She thought she was going to get out of it easy. None of the FotS people were antagonizing her, and the minute one would start she would immediately look their way and give them _the look_. It was not until Arlene came around the bar and grabbed her flower. She picked up the flower and waved it in front of her face.

"Oh my...Sookie. Where ever did you find such a pretty flower. It is yours, right honey?" She smiled at her, waiting for her to reply.

"Yes Arlene, it was a gift, and I would kindly appreciate it if you would put it back were you found it. Thank you so very much." She was clenching her teeth to the point of pain and the smile on her face would scare a circus clown.

"Oh...a gift...from who?" She antagonized her more.

"It was a gift from Eric, you remember Eric. Very tall, very big, very strong." She wants to play this game, lets play.

"Do you mean the..._vampire_" She said vampire like it was burning her tongue. She instantly dropped the flower from her fingers acting as though the fact that it was bought by him would cause her to suddenly have a deep need to bite a human and suck them dry. Like it was a communicable disease suddenly carried by flowers.

"Yup, that would be the one, what a good memory you have. I'd have thought all that hair dye would have sure gone to your brain by now. Boy, was I wrong. I'm sure sorry 'bout that." Again, seriously scary smile, circus clowns running for the hills.

"Oh Sookie...that's not nice. See what happens when you fill your life with those demon's, you act like one yourself. I knew it was just a matter of time before you'd started acting like one of those unholy devil's." She stepped on the blossom and crushed it under her shoe.

"Hey Arlene, visit Rene in prison lately. I hear they're real good on letting ex-wives of serial killers have conjugal visits. Who knows, maybe the one that ran off with all your silverware is there too..cell mates maybe" It was a low blow but, who the hell cares. Her smile was no longer pasted on her face. That disappeared once she heard the delicate blossom disintegrate under her Nike's. Now there was just pure hatred.

The FotS members were standing up ready to jump if there were any sudden movements on her part. She could see that one of them had his fist clenched ready to swing. One of the other waitresses was smart enough to knock on Sam's office door to let him know what was brewing on the other side. He immediately jumped in between and started shouting for the two of them to back down. He could see that neither of them was willing to walk away so he did what was best, pulled her into his office so she could cool down.

"What the hell is going on? Everything seemed fine when I came in here to catch up on paper work. How did everything go from quite and fine to chaos in 2 minutes?" He was angry.

"Sam, this was not my fault. She purposely waved that flower that I brought here in front of everyone so I would have to broadcast my personal business. Then she threw it on the floor and crushed it like she was just the snottiest bitch to ever live." She pleaded her case that this was not her doing. "She started this whole thing. I was fine, I didn't even look at those Fellowship losers, honest."

She was so angry that she was shaking, how dare that bitch do this to her. What nerve, bitch.

Eric was getting the bar ready for the night ahead. He was positively cheery, compared to his recent instability. Pam noticed it the minute she entered the bar. "Master, I see that your night off went well. I saw to it that your message was delivered to the appropriate person. All went well. Will you be here all evening, or are you planning on leaving early?" Pam knew that he could do anything he pleased and certainly did not need to run anything by her.

"I plan on being her for a while. I will let you know before I leave." He looked at her and he actually winked. She dipped her head slowly and carried herself away to do the rest of the nights preparations. Just as the words left his mouth he got a wave of fear. Not his own, it was hers. He could feel that she was upset, angry. She was not crying because she was in pain. She was furious and she was very, very upset. Something was happening, what was it? He closed his eyes and tried to feel more of what was washing over him. Someone was upsetting her, he could almost feel her shaking from the anger. He decided his plans were changing for the night.

"Pam...Pam" He yelled to the other side of the empty building. She instantly appeared, making no sound as she did so.

"Yes, do you need something" she asked in her flat Pam voice.

"My plans are changing, I will be leaving immediately." And with that he was out the door and driving down the road to his bonded. He was going to find out what had happened.

She emerged from Sam's office, eyes red with anger and her fists clenched. She shoved them into her apron so no one could see that she was so tense. Arlene just watched her as she crossed the room. Most of the people that were there from the FotS had left. The guy Arlene was dating stayed behind, along with his best friend. She could feel the hum in her head and it was closer than it was earlier. It was too early for him to be coming for her so soon? Her shift did not end for another hour, what was he doing? Despite her questions, she was relaxing into the feeling.

The next customer through the door was Amelia, she was alone, surprisingly. She grabbed a stool at the bar and ordered a rum and coke. She made small talk with the other waitress and finally noticed the tension as she walked over to hug her hello.

"So, what's going on here tonight? You look like you could just about kill someone. What happened?" She looked at her with great concern.

"Nothing really, Arlene just was being Arlene. She just really pissed me off. She had the nerve to start asking me personal questions about where the lily came from in front of all of those Fellowship guys." She tilted her head in the direction of the table where they all had been seated. "Dumb and Dumber are the only one's left. There were like six others here about twenty minutes ago. She actually crushed my flower, stomped on it because it was from Eric. What kind of person does that?" She was more hurt than angry. Arlene had at one time been one of her best friends, it felt like so long ago.

"Honey, don't let her get to you. You know she was only doing it to make you upset, which she obviously did. Remember, people are going to be mean and they're gonna say some pretty shitty stuff if you are in a relationship with _The Vampire_ himself. I'm not just talking about people, other's too." And by other's she meant Supes.

"I know, you're right, it just hurt, that's all. Did you ever think of what he could have taken from the house? Anything, anything at all. Nothing looks like its missing" She probed her friend with a smile and a wink.

"Oh my goodness, not only are you sharing a bed with that devil, but he's a thief to boot. Honey, you hear that? Sookie's new boyfriend has sticky fingers!" Arlene had been eavesdropping and yelled to her date.

And that was the last straw. She leaped from where she was standing and grabbed Arlene by the bright red, dyed, brittle hair. She slammed her into the bar wall and grabbed her neck with so much force she even shocked herself.

"Now you listen to me Arlene. What I do in my personal life is none of your damn business. I swear to God if I hear you say or speak another word about me or Eric I'll rip every last strand of this hideous hair right out of your skull. You got me, not a word, not even a thought. You are a miserable bitch and you are bent to make everyone else around just as miserable." She screamed in her face.

She felt a hand grab her by the back of the head, it was Arlene's boyfriend. He pulled her head backward and threw her on the ground. His best friend made sure she stayed down by pressing his knee into her back. The crowd in the bar had cleared out of fear. Amelia went to help Sookie, only to be shoved out of the way by dumber, as Sookie had referred to him earlier. Sam came running again, only this time he saw Arlene holding her neck where Sookie had grabbed her, and Arlene's boyfriend standing over Sookie as she stared at him from the bar floor. He raised his hand above his head in a motion that was made to look like he was going to slap her. Sam ran at them not knowing whether to tackle the boyfriend, or the friend that held her in place. It didn't matter, in the blink of an eye Eric had run into the bar and knocked them both out cold.

He scanned the bar for anyone else that appeared to be a threat and his eyes fell upon Arlene. As soon as he looked at her she began crying, backing away from him as quickly as she could. Eric was hell bent on making her equally responsible for what was going on.

"Eric...no...she's not worth it" She begged him and pulled his arm. "She's not worth our energy. Please, look at me. Eric, snap out of it" She shook his arm so he had to look at her. His face softened and he bent down to kiss her. The sneer that was on his face was gone, his fangs had recoiled, he allowed himself to inhale her scent. She tucked her head into his chest and breathed out a sigh of relief when she knew the danger had past. She sank into their bond and let the wave of trust and relaxation sweep over them both. She looked up into his eyes.

"Come on, let's get out of here." she gave his arm a tug. "Hey Arlene, you're gonna need some ice for those guys. Take my advise, best have lots of ice on hand if this is the type of shit you plan on pulling each time we work together." She played it cool, but she was secretly pissed that Eric had swooped in to save the day. She was thinking that she could have gotten a few good licks in on those assholes herself.


	4. Chapter 4

He walked behind her silently as she huffed to her car. He could feel that this was not the time nor the place to ask her what had just happened. He suddenly appeared in front of her as she reached for the car door. "Let me get that for you, lover", He was not being slick in his act, he was being chivalrous. She narrowed her eyes at him and accepted the gesture.

"Thanks, we'll talk about all of this as soon as we get to my house. I'll see you in a couple of minutes." She reached up on her tip toes and kissed him gently on the lips, letting her kiss linger for just a moment. She couldn't help herself, it just felt so...right. She pulled away and gave him a look that let him know he had best not try and persuade her to stay in that parking lot any longer than she needed to.

"Very well, I will be right behind you." He knew she was very upset with what had happened.

She got into her car and began to drive away, he stayed for just a moment taking in his surroundings, inhaling the air to see if there was a scent of anything alarming. He was secretly hoping that the men he had just knocked out had come to and would come stumbling out into the parking lot. He could kill them, call it self defense, and Glamour anyone that may have been witness to the act. None of this happened. He stalked over to his car and quickly found himself looking at her taillights.

She got out of her car and waited for him to do the same. "How the hell does he fit in that ridiculous car" She thought to herself. He looked like he would need to fold himself in half to fit his entire body in the driver's seat. But, he made everything look good so what did it matter, really.

"Did you ever think about getting a more...roomy car" She asked cautiously.

"Why, this car suits me? I like the way it sounds, it feels good in my hands, much like something else I have grown quite fond of." He tilted his head and licked his lips, looking at her with lust in his eyes.

"Hold it right there, back the train up buddy. Don't go getting any ideas in your head just yet. We have some stuff we need to go over before any of that." It took all she had to back her train up.

She motioned with her head for him to follow her inside. This time he walked ahead of her, taking the keys from her hands so he could enter the house first. She let him, she was still a little rattled from her run in with Arlene. He slipped her jacket from her shoulders, making sure to sweep his finger tips across her neckline as he did so. She shivered at his touch, and stepped away from him.

"Ah, I see that you got my gift. They are not near as beautiful as you." He gazed at the flowers that were sitting dead center on the table.

"Yes, and thank you. I have never seen such a gorgeous color. You really shouldn't have. You don't need to be buying me anything." She looked at him with a reprimanding look.

"I don't_ need_ to do anything lover. It is what I want to do. Actually, I _need_ to do this." Before she could move a step he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her towards him and kissed her like he had never kissed her before. Pure lust ran from her lips down to her toes and she threw her arms around his neck out of pure passion. He tugged the elastic out of her hair that had been holding the pony tail still for the past 8 hours. "I have missed you" he whispered in her ear.

"Eric...Eric" She was getting very....ready. Suddenly she looked at the flowers on the table and snapped his name a little more, hastily. "Eric, when did you order those flowers?" The tone in her voice was not the tone of a woman that was about to strip her clothes off in the kitchen and make love on the table because she couldn't wait to make it to her bed.

He stopped his rubbing of her body and looked down at her. "I'm sorry, could you repeat the question, my mind was...elsewhere." He grinned at her with his fangs.

"Eric, I'm serious. When did you order those flowers?" Her eyes were tense

"Is this such an important issue that we should stop what we are doing in order to address it?" He went to rub his finger across her breast and she slapped it away. She walked into living room.

He could feel that she was tense and uneasy through the bond. He looked at her with gentle eyes.

"I ordered them this morning" He was speaking very slowly.

"How could you have possibly ordered them this morning? You must have left here before dawn. There are no 24 hour florists in this neck of the woods. Did you order them before hand? Did you know you were going to seduce me and I was going to jump into bed with you? The card was in your handwriting." She regretted her words, but it was too late.

"Sookie, I have learned the hard way not to assume anything when it comes to you. I had no anticipation of making love to you last night, but to be honest, it was all I could think about. If you must know all of my secrets I will tell you." He looked at her with a disappointed glare. "As I drove home from here I called my accountant's cell phone. I left a message advising him to call every florist in the area until he could find what I was looking for. I wrote the message on a plain note card, not on the florist provided card stock. The note card was one I took from your room. I dropped it off at Pam's house as I drove into Shreveport, the sun was not quite up yet and I advised her to make sure it got dropped off to the accountant for delivery with the flowers. I did not pre-order anything in hopes of a reconciliation." He looked away from her

She could feel his sadness and she was so upset that she would have allowed herself to think such things. She sulked silently for what felt like forever. "I'm sorry, I'm not used to this type of thing...you know, us." She pulled on his arm in order for him to look at her. "I will never think such things again, promise." She wrapped her arms around him and he reluctantly did the same.

"I suppose I will be able to think of ways for you to make up your lack of better judgment" He smirked at her and laid a very cool, wet kiss on her cheek. "Why don't you start by telling me what went on at that bar tonight" He pulled her onto him and threw them back on the couch.

"Well, it really started out as nothing." He could feel her relax into his body, they just seemed to fit perfectly together. But, he could also feel her anger and frustration start to build as she began speaking of her night at work. "I brought the flower to work with me, just like the card said, even though I don't like being told what to do." She smiled up at him. "The night was pretty quiet, Arlene was being her usual charming self, there were six or so Fellowship people there in her section. They were being pretty tame... for jerks." He could feel that whatever had happened had truly hurt her, he rubbed her back to try and relax away some of her tension. "And then Arlene started in on me. She grabbed my flower and was waving it around. Now, I don't care who knows what, but she was doing it on purpose, so all of those Fellowship guys would hear me say that it was a gift from you. As soon as I said the words, that it was a gift from you, she dropped it on the ground and stomped on it. That's when Sam came running and pulled me into his office." She was very tense.

"The shifter grabbed you?" He did not sound pleased

"No, not literally. He told me I needed to cool down before something really bad happened. She just made me so mad. I could have bitch slapped her right there in front of everyone." Eric laughed at her words.

"Sookie, I know it was rude and I would like nothing more than to make her pay for her insult, but the altercation I walked in on was over her crushing a flower?" He was confused because he could feel then and he could feel now that there was something more.

"Well, I guess there's more...I was talking to Amelia about stuff missing from the house?" She looked at him with quizzical eyes hoping he would get what she was saying. She didn't really want to elaborate after her mistake with the flowers.

"Did she unlawfully break into your house? Did that red headed whore steal from you?" He was angry. Shit, she was going to have to elaborate after all.

"No, no, nothing like that. Your note, or should I say notes. You took a memento, a reminder of our night together. I'm sorry Eric, I just have no idea what that is. I was asking Amelia if she noticed anything missing and Arlene was eavesdropping on our conversation. She yelled to her boyfriend that you were a thief and had stolen from me. I couldn't stand her talking that way. I decided I wasn't going to hear any of it and shut her mouth for her." She was shaking again with the adrenaline that had propelled her into action in the first place. He felt how angry she was and how hurt she was.

"OK, so if I understand this correctly, she was accusing me of stealing from you and you attacked her? That is the reason the whore's boyfriend had his hands on you ready to harm you? Sookie, you were defending my honor?" He actually made a sound like a giggle, if a 1000 year old vampire can giggle that is.

"Well..I suppose so." She looked at him in amazement.

"I do not think that I have ever had a woman defend my honor. Lover, I have been called many things in my existence, many of these far worse than a thief, but you...you still manage to thrill me." He reached down and kissed her a thankful and gracious kiss. He felt her body fill with joy. "Now, these men that dared put a hand on you. They will be very sorry, they will be dealt with, in time. I will not have anyone laying a finger on you. If I hadn't got there when I did I am sure you would be bruised and sore. I am sure the shifter would have done some damage, but not nearly quick enough." He looked at her with glowing eyes.

"Eric, I could have taught those guys a lesson or two myself. I have been known to fight back, remember?" She questioned his vampire memory.

"Oh, lover, I remember _everything_." The way he said everything made her hot, and he felt it.

"Then why don't you remember to tell me what you took as a memento?" She asked with a sly smile.

"Why don't you try to guess and I tell you if you are right or wrong" He grinned in anticipation of a game.

"Oh hell, why not. Did you take....a towel from the bathroom?" She was hoping she was right.

"Sorry wrong answer, lose a piece of clothing." He started to help her with her shirt.

"Hold up, there was no talk about taking off my clothes." She held her hand up, but not very forcefully.

"Well, the rules have changed. If you guess wrong you lose something. If you guess right I will take everything off. It is a win win situation lover." He smirked at her in his Eric way. She agreed and took off her shoes.

"Did you take...a note card from my bedroom" She smiled a toothy grin

"Well, nicely played lover. I have already told you that I took that from your house. On a technicality I will remove something, but not all, that was not what I took as a memento." He kissed her quickly and removed his shirt, no modesty, ever. They could feel how comfortable they were with each other, it was peaceful, it was uncomplicated.

She thought about the entire evening and what Eric could possibly have taken. She tried to think like him, if she were Eric, what would she take as a souvenir. It hit her, "I've got it, Eric I know exactly what you would have taken. Be prepared to get naked buddy cause I'm about to win. The one thing that you would have kept as a reminder of me is simple, you took the panties that you so carelessly ripped off me. You took the panties, didn't you?" She was so excited that she remembered that he had ripped those off her. It was so easy, he could have just put them in his pocket as he left this morning. She looked at him all proud and happy. He felt her pleasure at thinking she had won.

He stood up slowly and started to undress. "Lover, you know me far better than I thought. You have won, I took the panties as a keepsake. I figured you would not mind as they were ruined after last night anyway. Do you forgive me?" He looked at her affectionately as he undressed. She was so proud and beaming with excitement at her victory. The truth was he did take a piece of the panties that he had ripped from her body, but that was not what he took as the memento. There was something far more special to him the he took. But for right now, the look on her face was what mattered. When he was done taking off his clothes she just looked at him. He was so magnificent, not a bashful bone in his beautiful body. She stood up and wrapped her arms around him. He bent down to hold her and she ran her fingers through his thick, golden mane. He looked directly in her eyes and said, "You are beautiful when you win." She held his gaze, felt his love, felt his safety.

"Eric", she whispered to him, she almost lost her breath, but pushed ahead, "I love you, too."


	5. Chapter 5

Her words had far more of an impact than he ever could have imagined. She looked up into his face and he actually flinched when the words escaped her lips. If he was breathing all of the air would have made a whooshing sound right out of him. In appearance it looked as though it hurt him, and this caused her to take a step back from their embrace and question what had just happened.

"Eric...I'm sorry...I thought" her voice broke because she was about to cry. He quickly realized that he was standing there, naked, and stunned. He also realized that this may not have been the reaction that was customary in the "I love you too" department. The fact that his body ached at the sound of those words were more than he was able to handle. He had heard hundreds, if not thousands of fang bangers tell him that they loved him. Christ, he and Pam had a contest one night at the bar to see how many of the vermin would actually declare their love to them in order to be bitten. But this, this was different. This was Sookie, this was real, this was...amazing.

"Please" He cut her off before she could say another word. "Please, whatever you do, please do not say you are sorry. Your words, Sookie...I , I am honored and I am humbled that you have chosen to love me." He took his hand and he placed it on her chest, he felt her heart racing.

"But you look sad, you look like you are upset. If you didn't mean for me to hear you say it, it's fine, we can just...forget the whole thing ever happened, right? Maybe?" He felt how tense, how nervous, how anxious she was. She really believed that she was not meant to hear his declaration the night before. "Umm, Eric, this may be a bad time to tell you this. But, since you are standing in the middle of my living room stark naked....Amelia will be walking in soon." She was starting to get waves of her brain activity and it was a good thing, it kind of added a little humor to this very heavy moment.

He looked at her, he raised her hands to his lips and he kissed them softly.

"Do not hesitate, we need to finish this, now." She could feel the urgency in his words. She hadn't even looked away from him and he had picked up all of his clothes and disappeared into her bedroom. She let out a heavy sigh, she hated being told what to do. She stomped her way to the bedroom.

As she opened the door he immediately grabbed her by the wrist and swung her around so she was facing away from him. He had only put his pants back on so she could feel the cool of his bare, white chest. He leaned down and rubbed his face on the curve of her shoulder blade. He let his lips drag across her neck, the feel of his soft hair on her skin was heavenly.

"Now hear this, remember this...always. I have been walking on this earth for centuries. I have heard many things in my existence, I have learned many languages, I have practiced many traditions and customs. In all this time I have never found a love, my kjaerlighet, my die Liebe, amour, liefde, rakkaus, amor, karlek" She listened as he said the word love in all of these foreign languages. The perfect dialect, the perfect pronunciation, at least it sounded that way to her. It made her heart race to think of the world he has seen, the world he has known. "Sookie, my reaction was not because I was upset and did not want you to hear me last night. My reaction was because I had forgotten what it feels like, to have someone say they love you..._and mean it_. My life is about getting people to serve me, sometimes they want to, sometimes they don't. But you...you do not do anything you do not want to do. You chose to love me, I will be forever grateful" He was still resting his head on her shoulder and whispering this into her ear. Her eyes were closed tightly so she could take all of his words in and block anything she was picking up from Amelia's pending arrival. He grabbed her by the waist and turned her to face him. "I love you", he kissed her forehead. "I love you," he kissed her eyes. "I love you", he kissed her nose. "I...Love...You" He kissed her lips.

He picked her up and passionately kissed her. She wrapped her legs around his waist and locked them behind his back. He was holding her neck with one arm and the other was cupped under her butt, rubbing that in the most glorious way. She grabbed a fistful of hair and pulled his head away from her. "Well...why didn't you just say that in the first place." She teased him and gave him a look as if she was saying, "you big, stupid, viking."

In turn he let out a rumbling Eric laugh and threw her on top of her mattress, he pounced on her the minute she hit the bed. He grabbed her by the side of the rib cage and dug his fingers in, mercilessly tickling her. Her laughter filled the entire house and he just looked at her as she gasped for breath under his fingers. She stared up at him as she begged him to stop, her laughter, he could never get tired of that sound. She reached up and touched a lock of his hair that was dangling in front of his face. She tucked it neatly behind his ear, "I love you, too."

He laid over the top of her and wrapped his entire body around her. All there was in the room was the sound of her beating heart, and the feeling of pure, raw, love. They could both feel it, holding each other, laying as one person, unconditional love...the only kind to give.

She began to rub her fingers over his chest, slowly and tenderly. His body tensed, and then relaxed into the sensation. She moved her head down and rubbed her cheek against his cool skin. She drew imaginary lines on his skin with her fingers and would trace them with her tongue. He growled her name when she neared his nipples. They knew each other so well, it was as though no time had past, as though they had never spent a night away from one another. He rubbed her hair and twisted her pale hair through his fingers.

She began to unbutton his pants and slide them off of his hips, he was enjoying being touched, being loved. She slid her hands inside the waistline and down the front of the zipper, making sure to wrap her fingers around his sizable..attributes. He had no need to breath, but he was panting. Off came the pants and his silk boxers were barely able to contain his readiness. She thought for a minute about ripping those from his body, just as he had done to her latest pair of underwear, but that could end badly, especially if they didn't rip that easily. Instead she rubbed the silk over his body for a minute, and then disposed of them to the floor as well.

As she dropped her head to his lap he began to work her out of her pants. She kissed him everywhere as he watched her, his eyes unable to blink, unable to look away. He had managed to get her out of her work pants without interrupting her current course of action. She happily pulled her shirt off for him. He was fixed on her movement, her willingness to make him happy. As her rhythm picked up he could feel his pleasure rise, but then a noise. She jerked her head up like she was a kid in high school.

"Shit, Amelia's back" She looked like she has just been caught making out on the couch by her parents.

He sat up on on his elbow and looked at her, but his look was anything but irritated, or unsatisfied. It was a look like pure...entertainment. "Oh, lover...do not think your witch roommate is going to stop our pleasure." He grinned, winked, and grabbed her. He had her pressed against the bed with his body positioned directly on top of her.

"Eric, she'll hear us. What are you doing... don't you even think about it" She was secretly just as turned on as he was at the idea of Amelia hearing them. She was giggling and making her best effort to shoo him away from her.

"Look at me lover, this will be fun", and he grabbed her legs and pushed into her. She dug her fingers into his back and bit down on his shoulder in order to not scream. When he felt her teeth hit his skin he moaned a guttural, animalistic noise. He pounded into her fast and hard. She moaned into his body as she tried to muffle the sound of her complete pleasure. He picked her up and wrapped her legs around him, never even removing himself from inside of her. He pushed her up against the bedroom wall and she made a thud as she landed. He smiled at her.

"Sookie, you OK in there? Eric's here right, I see his car. He didn't like, fly away or anything."

He was thrusting into her like he was going for a world record in speed screwing. "Oh...Um...Yup....I'm...Oh...fine...Oh....God...No worries" She managed to try and sound somewhat, coherent. She grabbed her viking by the ass and begged him to release her pleasure. Her body was pressed against the wall keeping them balanced, he was thrusting his hips perfectly and at the perfect angle to hit her just the right way. She threw her head back and he grabbed her hair as it trailed down her back, further exposing her bare neck to him. He kissed her neck, sucked , dragged his fangs across the delicate, paper thin skin. She had expected him to bite, instead he lingered there until he felt the crest of her orgasm. As she started to jerk he bent down and sank his fangs into her breast. He drank, hard, strong pulls. She could feel the blood coming out of her body and flow into his mouth. She managed to keep the sound of her orgasm down, took all she had, but she did it. He on the other hand, came just as he bit, as soon as the blood started to flow he let out a moan that could only mean one thing. It was loud, it was hot, it was a dead give away.

The whole thing lasted about five minutes, but five minutes well spent. They stayed there, pressed up against the wall, her legs wrapped around his waist. She needed the extra time so she could get the feeling to return to her legs. She thought for sure that if he lowered her to the floor now her knee's would give out. He picked his head up from her breast after he was done drinking and gazed at her satisfied beauty. She had a slight glow of sweat on her brow, and she had the look of a woman that was truly content. He saw that a few strands of her blond locks were stuck to her face because of the glistening sweat, he pulled them away and tucked them gently behind her ears. "You are a beautiful woman. I love you. Please, come with me tonight. We can not be alone here, we can not have the _privacy_ that we require. Come to my house for the night, you are not working tomorrow? There is nothing keeping you here tonight." He slowly lowered her to the ground, placing her down with not even a sound. She knew exactly what he was trying to get across when he said privacy.

She took a couple of minutes to think about, he was right, she was not working tomorrow. After the incident earlier at Merlotte's she would probably call Sam and ask for the day after tomorrow off as well. What could it hurt? They still had several things to discuss, it would be better to be alone. She looked up into his huge, blue eyes, "OK, I'll go with you. But, we still have some things to talk about Eric. I'm not going with you just so we can have sex all over the place and forget about all of the other issues we have, you hear me?" Her eyes pierced his, making sure he knew she was serious.

"Absolutely lover, talk first, love later...and later...and later" His voice trailed off as he scanned her body up and down.

"Stop that" She scolded his behavior. "Please, throw me my shirt. We need to get dressed if we're leaving." They quickly dressed and emerged from the bedroom to a gawking Amelia.

"Hey you two. Good to see you Eric, you look...well." She looked Eric up and down like he was modeling a brand new outfit just for her. "Sookie, you OK after everything that went down tonight? Sam is just beside himself. You should have heard him lay into those Fellowship guys. Arlene just stood there like she forgot how to talk. Imagine, her not being able to talk." She was trying to avoid the fact that she knew full well that she had just heard them having fantastic sex.

"I'm fine Amelia. Really, I'm just fine now." She wrapped her arms around Eric's waist out of need, she hadn't even realized she had done it. He bent down and kissed the top of her head, it was so comfortable, protective, loving. Amelia took in this simple exchange between them and smiled.

"Amelia, I'm going to stay at Eric's tonight. You got everything here under control, right?" Her eyes looked at Amelia's. Even if Amelia didn't have everything under control, her eyes were telling her that she had best agree.

"Oh, absolutely. I'm great here. You get going, I'll call if I need anything." She smiled and nodded her head.

She walked over and gave her a hug goodbye. She whispered a thank you in her ear and collected some things she thought she would need for the overnight at Eric's.


	6. Chapter 6

They walked outside and she instinctively went to get in her car. He took her hand in his and gently led her away from her vehicle. "No lover, we will take my car. There is no need for you to be driving." He was being courteous and he really did not want her making the long drive alone. He wanted to be with her as much as possible.

"But Eric, how will I get home tomorrow. It's not like you can drive me home in the morning, or the afternoon for that fact." She was slightly snappy, but more concerned.

"Lover, I am hoping that you will decide to stay the day at my house, and if not, you can take my car back. I will retrieve it tomorrow night." He had an answer to all of her questions and they both felt the comfort and the relaxation burn through their bond. She reluctantly followed him over to his Corvette as he took her bag out of her hands. He opened the car door for her and made sure she was comfortably settled before he shut the door.

When he got himself in the car he looked at her, he reached across the cabin of the car, and he kissed her. It was dark, but she could see his glowing, beautiful form as he looked at her. She felt that for as long as her life lasted, she would never, ever get tired of the way he kissed her. At the same exact moment he was thinking the same exact thought, he would never tire of the way she kissed him.

They started on their way towards Shreveport, it wasn't just a 10 minute jaunt down the road. They could actually get somethings settled on the way. In her own mind that would allow them more time later to enjoy each others company. She placed her hand on the top of his thigh in order to get his attention, and of course, his blue eyes turned to her with a burning desire that only he could pull off.

"Eric, you do know that we need to have some...rules, if this is going to work?" She questioned him with a quiet and innocent voice.

"Lover, only you would get my attention by moving your hand so _interestingly_ on my thigh in order to turn the subject towards rules. You are creative...go ahead, you have my attention. What are you suggesting." He was looking at her with interest and with curiosity.

"Well, for starters, I do not take well to people telling me what to do. You had best think about what you're dealing with. I hate it when you get all big, bad vampire on me. You want me to do something, ask me. Tell me what it going on, and I will decide whether or not I should be involved.

Do you understand what I am trying to say?" Her voice was strong and it was clear.

He took a moment to let her words sink into his head, he took her hand in his and rubbed his thumb against her palm. "Sookie, I fully understand that you do not appreciate having decisions made for you. But, in some instances, when your safety is in danger, or a threat has been made, I will be forced to make a decision, or tell you what to do without your knowledge. It is the nature of my existence, danger is common. I do not take pleasure in forcing you into situations that do not agree with you. I will agree to this...If I can explain things to you, make you aware of a certain situation, or if it something very day to day, I will always discuss it with you first. However, if you are in danger, if I am in danger, if something is wrong and I need to act quickly, I will be forced to tell you what to do, and I will expect you to listen to me and do as I say." His eyes were comforting, he was making his best effort to compromise on her first request. Eric, master compromiser.

She recognized that this was a major step for him and she was grateful. "Well, that's a step in the right direction, thank you for that." She lifted their hands to her lips and kissed the back of his. "Next is this _MINE _stuff. I belong to no one. I belong to me, Sookie Stackhouse, me. I really hate it when people look at you and assume that I belong to you. Seriously, no one belongs to anyone in this century. I am my own person, just like you are your own person." She was trying to be as simple as possible, she was her own person, plain and simple.

This part made Eric slightly more uncomfortable, she could feel his body tense and become very uneasy. She felt his tension, and he felt her confusion.

"Sookie, this is where you are so wrong. You are mine, and I am so very much your's. We are one, we are Bonded, we are essentially one entity. Lover, I feel you as if you are in my soul, just as you can feel me. You are using the word _Mine _in its literal form. No, I do not have you as my possession, but what I have is your feelings, your heart, your love. All of those things are a gift from you, they are mine to have, to cherish, they are mine. And in return, I give you the same. I am yours, I belong to you, in a way that I have never belonged to another. In our community, it is the greatest honor for me to refer to you as mine, my Bonded, it lets everyone know that we are forever a piece of one another. Sookie, it has nothing to do with me owning you, possessing you, it has to do with us, accepting each other, accepting our life together, being as one." He was nervous with anticipation at her response.

"I understand all that Eric, but that is not how y'all use it sometimes. If someone walks by and looks at me the wrong way you immediately snap, _She's Mine_. If another Supe, human, whatever, even looks at me with an admiring eye you would grab them around the neck as hiss, _She's Mine. _You'd even do it to Sam given the chance." She was absolutely right and he knew it.

"Yes, that would happen. That is me wanting to let everyone know that I am the lucky one that has your attentions. That I am the one that is forever a better person for it. Perhaps I can change the wording, next time I will break their arm and hiss _I am hers_, instead of, _She is mine_. Would that suit you better lover?" He laughed a low rumble and she couldn't help but snicker at the idea.

"I don't care what you say, just please do not make me feel like your personal property." She thought for just a moment. "Unless....some crazy, evil vamp is about to take a bite out of me. Then you can pull the old _She is Mine _card, sound good?" She had remembered a time in her past when that had served a great protection. The tension in the car slowly dissipated and she looked out the window at the objects flying by her windows, Eric, lead foot. They were silent for the next ten minutes, it was a comfortable silence, it was relaxing. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the silence, love hummed between their two bodies.

"Sookie, you must allow me to do things for you. I know you are proud and I know you are self reliant, but, I find great happiness in providing things for you." He was as serious as she had heard him all night. "I'm not just talking about sending you gifts, flowers, lingerie. I'm talking about necessities. You need better protection at the house, I want to have the house renovated in order to make it more safe for you, and of course, more safe for me. I want to start immediately. If you will agree to it, I can have a contractor their at the start of next week, it is for the best."

She didn't know how to respond. After the fire had claimed part of her house it was completely redone. Now, he wanted to do a complete overhaul. The house had been her Gran's, it had been in the family for generations. It made her so sad to think of her grandmothers house torn apart and not anything like it's original self. Eric could feel the reason for her sadness and he quickly assured her this would not be the case. "Sookie, I would make sure that your grandmother's house will still look and feel like the house you grew up and lived in. I would never change it, that house holds to much of us to ever destroy it." It was exactly what she needed to hear because she surprised herself and agreed.

He was very pleased, he thought that this would be the toughest part of the night. He squeezed her hand and let her know how happy she had just made him. She squeezed back to acknowledge the sentiment. "Just a few more minutes lover. We are almost home." The way he said home made her heart melt. He was taking her _home, _to his home, his house. He clearly said home to mean that this was not just his house, it was a place she was welcome, a place she was wanted, it was her home too.

They pulled into a street that was illuminated with not regular streetlights, but with the special lantern poles that communities needed to pay extra for. They gave off a soft, romantic glow rather than the harsh, fluorescent, halo glow the usual streetlights shined. The houses were large, but they were not offending. It was not quite a cookie cutter development, but it was pretty close. Manicured lawns, high end sedan's, the choice in this neighborhood seemed to be either a Lexus or an Audi. She took in her surroundings and imagined what it must be like to be a kid and have such an easy life. He slowed down and pulled into a long, darkened drive. It was not gravel as hers is, but it was cobblestone. She didn't even want to think about how much a drive way like that would cost. He pressed a couple of buttons and the security doors that were locked began to open to his garage. He drove straight in and closed the doors immediately behind him.

He was out of the car and at her side opening her door for her before she even had time to blink. She was not able to fully see his house as they were driving in, it was dark and she did not want to make it look like she was staring. He helped her out of the car and drew her to his mouth for a deep, welcome to my home kiss. She was very happy to return it with enthusiasm. He pulled himself away from her, reluctantly. "Let me show you around, lover" He took her hand and lead her through the door of the garage and into the rest of the house. He was so proud of his home and he desperately wanted her to approve.

The kitchen was minimal, Eric didn't need to cook or eat, but he did have the appliances for those things. Bright, shiny, stainless steel appliances. It was small, but the kitchen was perfect size for his life. The living room was gorgeous, deep, rich hardwood floors. The windows were massive, they were everywhere on this first floor. She thought about why he would have so many windows, but she never asked. The furniture was simple, deep brown and leather. It was not over sized, it was perfectly streamlined. Long and smooth, just like him. There was a huge field stone fireplace in the corner of the room with a heavy wooden mantle. No photo's around, just a few pieces of art on the wall, mostly scenes of Viking's and ships. The walls were an intense shade of navy blue, it fit him perfectly. The house was just...Eric. The remaining rooms on the first floor were an office, a bathroom, and a media room. The media room held an enormous HD plasma TV with surround sound. It was a man's world, it was so human. Men and electronics, how ordinary.

"Eric, your home is beautiful. I love it, it is exactly like I pictured it." She smiled at his face as he glowed with appreciation.

"Thank you, let me show you the rest of the house." He took are hand and guided her towards the stairs. She followed taking in her surroundings. The staircase was impressive, it was wide and it was strong. She could feel the weight of the wood under her feet. She could feel the weight of his happiness in her soul, she was comfortable, she felt suddenly at home.


	7. Chapter 7

When they were half way up the stairs he felt the feeling she was experiencing, that she was feeling, home. He turned to her and did not say a word, he just looked at her and smiled. He kissed her a very hard kiss. She wrapped her arms around him, and since he was more than one stair ahead of her, this was not easy to do. She pulled him to meet her half way and she could feel his desire at her pulling him into her. He dragged his hands down her body, under her shirt, through her hair. The positioning of their staggered bodies standing on the stairs didn't seem to phase either of them.

His mouth was working so hard against her own, her lips were burning with having to keep up. She could feel her legs start to waiver and she reached behind her to try to feel her surroundings. She really had no idea where she was, and if she was going to fall, she wanted to at least feel if there was something she could grab for, or try and hold on to. All she felt was cold wall, if she stumbled it was going to hurt. What the hell, she was not caring at this point. Eric pressed his body against hers and took her body even closer to his and began to lower them to the floor. He balanced her on top of him so that she rested on top if him as they laid there in the middle of the staircase. He kneaded her flesh under his fingers, he reached up and kissed her neck and her shoulders. She collapsed into the feeling and started ripping at his clothes. She needed to have this beautiful man, and she needed him now.

He pulled her shirt over her head and rubbed her breasts through her bra. She thought that her nipples were going to pierce the fabric and come shooting through. She tugged at his shirt and helped him as he smoothly removed it from his body. She kissed his bare skin, bit his hard nipples, tongued his muscles. It was not the most comfortable place in the house, but right now, the stairs were the most comfortable place to him. They both helped each other out of their pants, this was no time to savor and take in the sights of the beauty. It was the time for getting down to business. He was very pleased and very surprised to see that she had neglected to put underwear back on after they got dressed at her house earlier. He had done the same, in fact he left his boxer shorts right there on her bedroom floor.

With no hesitation he lifted her slightly off of him and he slid into her. She was very ready and she was very relieved. "Oh..Eric, you feel so good" She breathed in his ear. "I can't believe we lost all that time" She was already panting. He had a firm grip on her hips and he rocked her. He did all of the motions as he did not want her to hurt herself on the unfamiliar landscape. He rocked her and watched her as she took every inch of his massiveness inside if her.

"I missed you too lover. I love feeling myself inside of you, feeling your body move against me. I love watching your pleasure. My body needs to be inside of you." He moaned into her neck as she bent down to suck on is earlobe. His hands moved her hips and one slipped up to caress her back. She loved how his fingers made her spine tingle when he rubbed a finger down the center. He slowed down the pace he was rocking her at, the insatiable need to take her now was subsiding, now he wanted to bask in the feel of making love to her. He looked into her eyes and felt his body ache for her. He was making love with her, again. Something he could never grow tired of. The thought of the two of them together for as long as it was possible made his orgasm creep up rather quickly. He returned both of his hands to her hips and began rocking her and twisting her in the exact motion that he knew would make her come in a matter of seconds. Her body responded and she began to dig her fingers into his shoulders. "Eric, Eric...don't stop, Oh, Eric...Oh God...Eric." and with that their dual orgasm's began.

"Look at me, lover, look at me. I want to see you. Sookie, Sookie, Oh...Oh...Jesus...Oh...I love you!." He screamed at the height of his release, and he relaxed into the hardwood staircase that had been supporting them. She fell on to his chest, gasping for her breath and waiting for body to stop quivering with slight aftershocks. "God, I love you too...I really do. I love you." She was so honest that it was almost shocking in its sound. It made him laugh a bit.

"Trying to convince yourself?" He teased her and nudged her hip.

"No, of course not. It just...it's so easy to say now. I spent how many months refusing to acknowledge or even talk of this possibility. Now, it's right here in front of me, out in the open. Now, I can't imagine not having it. And it's only been part of my life for a day." She rubbed her hand against his chest and she kissed it gently.

"No, it has been here for far longer than a day. It has been here for years, it was here when I first met you. It was almost a year ago that you acknowledged us and accepted us, it was just a day ago that you allowed love to become us. It is easy now because we are both able to love each other and we are here on our own free will. We have chosen each other, it just took a little time to finally get here." He held her close to him and he kissed her shoulder. Suddenly she realized that they were basking in the glow of their love making, on the stairs. She jumped up and grabbed her clothes.

"Oh my, we can't stay here on the stairs like this, this can't be comfortable for you. Get up, get your things, move it." She slapped at his butt in a motherly way, he turned to her and gave her a fangy and amused grin. "Besides, you were supposed to be showing me around. You're not a very good host if this is how you give a tour to everyone that comes here." She looked at him through very thin, very questioning eyes.

"Oh no, I do apologize. I certainly did forget my manners, usually the only person that _comes_ here is me." His words did not go unnoticed. Just the way he crooned the word come made her ask the next question.

"So your trying to tell me that you have never brought any women here and pulled that little staircase show for them. I'm sorry Eric, but that was way too good to be an opening night performance." She was serious, she did not believe he was being serious.

"Lover, the only other woman...actually, the only other being that is female that has been to this house is Pam. And in case this is your next question, No, I have not had sex in this house with Pam. I did not own this house at a time when I was having sex with Pam." Mr Practicality.

"You've never brought those bangers here, never a girlfriend, not even a friend that you had hoped to have sex with....really?" She wasn't sure how to react.

"None, the women that come to the bar in order to have sex with me are treated as such, whores. They deserve no better than to be taken in a back alley, or in a closet. Someplace impersonal and easy to get away from. I would never even consider bringing a fang banger to my home, it would take me months to clear their putrid smell out of the air. If I ever had a girlfriend that I considered to be close enough to trust I would take her to one of my smaller homes in Monroe. I would never allow anyone into my personal space, anyone. This is my home, the place where I spend my days, the place that I am at my most vulnerable. I could never trust anybody with that information. You are the only woman that I have ever let inside this house, that I promise you." He rubbed her cheek with his hand and she touched it very softly. Her eyes filled with tears as she let the magnitude of this moment sink into her brain.

Never, he had never trusted and loved anyone like this before. He was completely hers, he was showing her everything about himself. He was fully committing himself to making their relationship work. It was her that needed to be more open and more trusting.

"Thank you, I'm sorry I assumed you..." He kissed her lips softly.

"No apologies. Come, lets carry on with the tour." He lead her the rest of the way.

The second floor was beautiful. It consisted of three bedrooms and a bathroom, and a master suite with a master bath. Off of the master suite was a smaller room, almost like a large sitting room, only it had very thick walls, and no windows. This was where Eric spent his days. She had expected the walls to all be similar to the shade of red that occupied the space on the Fangtasia walls. But, to her surprise, his walls to the master suite were the most perfect shade of ivory. It was light, it was airy, it was soft. It was nothing like she had expected. The room had big, deep, mahogany furniture. The bed was huge, it looked like it was a custom design, hell, for all she knew it probably was. It had a matching wardrobe chest, and two matching dressers. Eric did have a lot of clothes she thought to herself.

The master bath was exactly what she expected. Enormous, top of the line, spa quality. It was the most perfect shade of blue. It reminded her of the color of the ocean. It had a shower that looked like it could fit about five people in it, and the whirlpool tub could have fit about seven. Around the tub was a shelf that had dozens and dozens of spa candles ready to burn, and a radio system. It was absolutely perfect. It was not reeking of slimy sex, it was just...Eric.

"So you approve of my personal space" he had come up behind her and whispered into her ear.

"Eric, it is so nice. You have excellent taste, I love it." She smiled at him and was sincere. "So you mind if I look at the other rooms?"

"Go ahead, hurry back" He threw himself on to the massive bed. She crept out of the bedroom.

The first room was just a simple guest bedroom. It had deep green walls and light maple furniture. It was not a huge room so it only accommodated a full size bed, dresser, and nightstand. The second room was slightly larger, it was the same color as the navy in the living area downstairs, and it had cherry furniture. It appeared to have a queen size bed, armoire, dresser, and it had a television in it sitting on an antique looking chest. She wondered how old that was, if it was something from his past.

The third bedroom was something more personal. She opened the door and saw what appeared to be a similar room to her own bedroom at her house. The yellow paint was an exact match for the walls at her house. The furniture was strikingly similar, although not identical. It was as if he had tried to recreate her space in his house. He came up behind her, he had felt her confusion as she opened the third door. "When I was trying to sort out my memories, I felt it comfortable and reassuring to be somewhere that I felt...safe. The only place that kept coming to mind was this space, your bedroom at your house. It made me feel like I could handle everything that was happening to me, everything that I was feeling. It made me remember how close and how happy we were. It was a way for me to feel close to you without scaring you and without hurting you more." His eyes were soft and his words were very quiet. She reached up and kissed his chin and brushed the hair from his face, she turned and began walking towards the master suite. Nothing more was said about the room.


	8. Chapter 8

"Are you getting hungry, it is well past the normal time for a human to eat?" He asked her in the most concerned and caring of ways. "I can make something for you, or we can go get something if you like."

"Actually, I'm really not that hungry. I think that I'll be fine. I would like to lay on this amazing bed and feel just how incredible it is. And, I mean lay on the bed. I don't mean be pillaged on the bed...at least not yet." She jumped backwards and he watched her blond hair fly around her face. Her laughter was now filling his house, it was what dreams are made of.

"Oh my God, Eric! Do you have any idea how freakin comfortable this bed is. It's like,...I don't even know if I have words for this. It's incredible, come here, lay with me." He did as she said and laid down next to her. Their hair cascaded over the pillows and was intertwined as one. She rolled over and snuggled into his chest, tucking her head under his chin. It just fit in the most natural way. They held each other silently, he inhaled her smell as she inhaled his. She was more happy than she had been in months. He was more happy than he had been, ever.

"Eric, I need to tell you something. I tried to tell you the other night, but you told me to wait. Well, I need to tell you now." She sat up and looked down at him as he laid on his back. She mindlessly twirled his hair through her fingers. "Eric, my cousin, Hadley. She had a baby before she was made a vampire by the Queen. Niall got me all of the information on him. His name is Hunter, he's four years old." The mention of Niall's name made him a little uneasy, but he did not stop her for carrying on. He rubbed her arms as he spoke about the boy. "Eric, I went to visit him the other day, the day I called you. I met him and I was upset and I ended up just feeling really awful. That's what made me call you, I knew it was time. Anyway, he is just the cutest little thing. He really is, he's sweet, and he's super polite...but, I think there's a problem." He could feel her tense and through their bond he felt and astounding amount of fear.

"Tell me, what is it, is he in danger? What can I do...Sookie, please..what is it." His words were desperate because he could feel how upset she was getting when she thought of this.

"Eric, he has the same _condition_ as me. He can hear people, he's a telepath." Her eyes sank to the bed and she began to cry. "I'm just so scared for him, I don't know what to do. He is just a little boy and he has already lost his momma. I am so afraid for him." She was shaking and he pulled her close to him so he could hold her.

"Sookie, does anyone else know?" His voice was sharp and it was deadly.

"I think his dad knows, and I told Amelia. I had to, I needed someone to talk to." She held on to him like he was going to run away.

"We must figure out what is to be done. No one can know about this, if anyone finds out, this child will be in great danger. If anyone finds out that this is a relative of yours, and especially if they learn of his gift, it will be used against him, against us. Sookie, you must try to stay away from this boy. Do you understand, you must avoid seeing this child." He was making her nervous.

"Excuse me? Are you telling me that I can't see my own family? Are you telling me that I can't help this baby with the one thing that I can possibly help him with? Why...why would you tell me these things?" She was hurt and confused.

"Because, think about it. If someone were to learn that he had the gift, he would be a target, just as you have become. Only he is so young, he could be kidnapped and he could be molded into anything that his takers may want. You, you are strong and you are stubborn. This is a child we are talking about. It would take nothing to break this little boy, to make him something that he is not. Sookie, I am not asking you to do this to hurt you. I am asking you to do this to protect him." He looked at her and willed her to see things the way he was seeing them.

"Eric, I just found him. How can you expect me to forget about him? He is a piece of my family, a piece that I never knew I had. He is a little boy, a little boy that has a lot of shit to handle. How can I ignore it, how can I go about my life like I don't know he's in for a world of hurt and trouble?" Her eyes pierced through his, the thought of running away from this boy that would need her in a very big way was unbearable.

"I will make sure"...he stopped short and rephrased his words. "We will make sure that he is taken care of. We will provide everything he could ever need or want. We will provide him a tutor for his gift, only it will be under the guise that this tutor is for his regular schooling. We will take care of him, we will just make sure that no one knows it is us. It is the safest way, especially for the child." She thought about what he was offering, how could that work?

"And how would we explain that to his father. How would we be able to make sure that our offer is even accepted. All he has to say is NO, then what? Then we're right back where we started. I need to make sure that he learns about what his life is going to be like. Eric, this is my responsibility." He felt how desperate she was to make sure this little boy did not have to suffer the same cruel adolescence that she had endured. He pulled her to him and held her tightly. He rocked her as she lay limp against him. She was terrified to believe that she could be a danger to Hunter, but, as usual, he was right.

"I will take care of everything. I will see that it is taken care of and handled with the utmost care and privacy. Sookie, the more you go to him and the more people that notice you with him... it will just be a matter of time. Soon they will realize what he is, and it will be too late. He will become what you became, a commodity, leverage, an upper hand. I will not let that happen. We will not let that happen." She cried into his chest, he was right. She could bring trouble directly to his doorstep. She agreed to his plan, it was a generous offer, it was a comfort.

"I will have papers drawn up to make it look like this was an order of the Queen, that she had taken care of this long before she was killed. It will look like she was doing this for Hadley, providing for her son in a way that she was unable to, since she was turned by the Queen, it would seem like the Queen would feel responsible for his upbringing. This will work lover. We will see that he is well cared for. He will have the best tutor that we can find, he will learn how to use his gift and he will be thankful. He will be fine, and he will be safe." He was gentle when he spoke of the boy.

"Are you OK with doing all of this, you've never even met him. And, I've never really pictured you as a _daddy_ type. This is not just sending a gift at Christmas, you're pretty much agreeing to take care of him until he is old enough to live on his own. We're talking years, years...he's only four." She questioned him with her eyes.

This made him laugh a little and she felt it in his chest "True, I have not met this little person, but, the way you speak of him makes me see that you care for him. If he is important to you it makes him important to me. I do not want anything to harm him because it would harm you. I will protect him as if he were your's. I may not be a _daddy type_ as you called it, but children seem to make humans happy. They are innocent and they are allowed to be brutally honest at no consequence. Children are pure, they remind adult humans that it is fine to laugh and it is fine to not be so damn serious. They need to be protected, and that is what we will do. Do we agree, lover?" He looked at her with a soft and protective gaze. His eyes were focused on her face, like he was memorizing the lines on her skin.

"Yes, we agree. I love you." She held out her hand in a gesture of a handshake. He grabbed it and instead of shaking he yanked it and pulled her down on to the bed so she was snuggled back into his chest with her head under his chin. "Eric, now that I have agreed to do something for you, will you agree to do something for me?" She rubbed her hands on his chest and he responded with a heavy moan.

"I will do anything you ask of me my love" He voice was raspy and intense.

"Will you make love to me right now in this incredible bed. Will you tell me you love me and will you hold me until you have to go for the morning?" She was rubbing her fingers across his muscles and watching as his body responded to her request.

"Lover, I will make love to you anywhere you ask me to, anytime you ask me to...I will tell you I love you in every way I know how, and I will have to force myself to leave you before the sunrise." He sat her up and kissed her, letting her know that he was very ready to comply with her wishes. He slowly undressed her, what little there was since she had not completely dressed from their session on the stairs. She took the little amount of clothing off of him and they sat facing each other on his impressive bed. He whispered in her ear I love you, but he said it in Swedish. She needed to ask what it was. He whispered it in French, he whispered it in Russian, he whispered it in Italian. Finally he looked her in the eyes and simply said I Love You. She felt his love, he felt her happiness.

He kissed her entire body, her legs, her thighs, she begged him to make love to her. He placed his mouth over her center and she gasped at the feel of his cool tongue. Her hips jerked at the feeling and he responded with a growl that vibrated against the sensitive skin. She reached her arms out to the side and clawed at the bed linens. She was floating away on pure pleasure when he stopped, her eyes flew open. He was above her looking down, gazing at her body.

"Oh my God, what are you doing?" She begged him.

"I'm watching you, watching you enjoy yourself." He smirked at her and quickly returned to what he was doing. She let out a moan that was thoroughly satisfying to his ears.

"Oh...thank you for doing this...Oh, Eric..." Again, she was floating away on a wave of pleasure. Suddenly she was feeling his teeth break the skin on her thigh and she was screaming his name. She was screaming his name and she was convulsing like this was her first orgasm of the night, not one in a line of many others. He sucked on her thigh and she felt her body become more ready with every draw he took. His fingers were caressing between her legs as he pulled from the tiny wound, he was driving her crazy with desire already, it had been seconds. She grabbed him and took his face in her hands as he was licking the blood on his lips. "You, I need you inside of me right now." She ordered him inside of her and she kissed the blood from his lips, tasting the blood and herself on him.

He was not one to dismiss an order from her, he threw her legs behind his head and he glided right into her ready body. This angle was incredibly deep for her, it felt like he was hitting the back of her spine. She shrieked each time he thrust into her body. She couldn't quite reach his body with the angle of her legs, so she just propped herself back on her elbows and looked in his eyes. She watched as he smiled at her and spoke a language that was something she had never heard before. He later told her it was a poem, a sonnet from his child hood. He was beautiful, he was hers, and he was doing his very best to make her his, in the literal sense of the word.

He took one of her legs from around his neck and kissed it, he licked it as he pulled it down to the bed.. He did the same to the other leg and he still had managed not to remove himself from her body. In a very quick, fluid motion her flipped her over on to her stomach. He did not prop her up so that she was on her knees, he instead laid directly on top of her back, supporting his weight with his hands. He entered her again and the sensation was incredible, they were so close to one another. They were like one person. He kissed the back of her neck, the back of her shoulders, the sides of her breasts. She arched her head backward as he started to lay these kisses on her body. He thrust in and out of her at the most sensual pace, it was not too fast and it was not too slow. Her body moved in a perfect rhythm with his. She could feel his hair falling free in his face, it tickled her shoulders and it tickled her back. He took her hands in his and he reached them above her head. He clenched his fingers around hers and she knew he was getting ready to explode. She tilted the alignment of her hips just slightly and knew immediately that she had done something very, very good. She was the one that was now clenching his fingers. They moved together, he directly on top of her back, they were one person, the pace quickened and he rested his head on to her shoulder. There was no need for him to breath, but she could feel his cool breath against her skin as he moaned out loud. He snuggled his face as close to her ear as possible, thrust into her, they each clenched each others hands for support, and he softly and breathlessly moaned, I love you.

All she could get out of her lips as she orgasmed was I love you too. He relaxed on to her back, laying there for a moment and enjoying the feeling of her underneath him. Their hands were still locked together, stretched out above her head on the pillows. He pulled their arms back and rolled off of her, wrapping himself around her body, making sure to tuck her exactly where she fit.


	9. Chapter 9

"Have I done everything you have asked of me so far lover?" he whispered as she got comfortable in his arms.

"Hmm, absolutely...just please, stay with me and hold me for as long as possible. Don't leave me until you have to." She tugged his arms to hold her more tightly.

"I am a man of my word. I will stay here until I can stay no longer." He kissed her head and he smoothed her hair with his hands.

She thought about those words, _I will stay until I can stay no longer, _she let them echo in her mind. She wondered about their future together. What if he decided next week that he could stay no longer? What if he decided in a year that he could stay no longer? She was getting worked up, but felt it quick enough to cool herself down. She had managed not to alarm him with her worrying. She would handle this later, when she was alone and she could have one of her famous pro's and con's talks all by herself. She sank into the bed, the linens, the comfort of everything.

He held her all night long, not once did he let her go. Just as he said, he was a man of his word. He listened to her breath and he watched her eyes as they fluttered under her lids every now and then. He kissed her hair and he silently willed her to wake up and talk to him. He knew she was exhausted, so he wasn't too upset when she remained blissfully unaware. He thought about what had happened at Merlotte's that night and what steps he was going to take to make sure those assholes went missing, never to be found. He thought about how he was going to handle that Arlene whore. All he knew was that she was never going to be in danger from those people again, he would see to it.

He felt the pull of sleep and the feeling of the sun. He knew it was time to leave her, and as he promised, he had to force himself to do so. He covered her with the soft blankets and kissed her head. He left another note for her.

_Lover,_

_Please make yourself at home, there is food and coffee for you. I must insist that you stay with me. I want you to be the first thing I see when I wake up. I will be dreaming of you, I love you._

_Love,_

_E_

He placed the note on the nigh stand and he kissed her again. He was heavy with exhaustion and pulled himself into the smaller room off of the bedroom. He shut the door behind him but did not lock it. He flopped into the bed and covered himself. She did not wake up for another six hours, she was so comfortable that she just slept and slept.

When she finally did wake she rolled over and touched his side of the bed. She smelled the pillow where his head had rested. She spied the note and read it, she again held it to her heart.

"Food and coffee" She said out loud. She was hungry at this point. She threw on one of his Fangtasia T-shirts and some socks and went to the kitchen. She put on a small pot of coffee and took stock of the items in the fridge. He had even remembered to buy some cream to go in her coffee. She quickly had all the fixings for a ham and cheese omelet with some toast to boot. She found the pans and was amazed how fast she was able to learn the layout of his kitchen.

She had eaten and cleaned up her mess in less than half an hour. Next she needed a shower and she really couldn't wait to feel how his shower was. She started the water and let the bathroom fill with steam. She undressed and quickly got into the massive shower stall. It had one of those energizing, massaging, spa type shower heads. It felt incredible, she could have spent all day in here. But, she was a guest and she was not going to be using an entire days worth of hot water. She saw the shampoo and conditioner and flipped the caps open to smell. It was exotic, it was sweet and had something that smelled like vanilla in it. She liked it and used it to wash her hair. She only imagined that it was some fancy salon brand that you could only get in a place like Paris.

She got out of the shower, forty-five minutes later, and towel dried her body off. She wrapped her hair in one of his towels and put the Fangtasia T-shirt back on. She was comfortable here. She really did feel like she was home. She was not afraid to be alone in his house, she was not nervous. She remembered that her lover was just on the other side of the door she was looking at. She wondered what he looked like as he slept so peacefully. The last time she had interrupted his day time sleep was to save his life in Rhodes. It wouldn't hurt to just peak in, to go in and give him a little kiss goodnight. She unwrapped her hair and tossed the towel into the bathroom.

She silently twisted the knob on the door, it wasn't locked. She pushed it open, just barely enough so that she could see in through the crack. She opened it wider and walked through the door. She looked at her love, she felt her eyes well up with tears. She pushed the door shut behind her. She walked over to him and she touched his hair, he barely moved. There, laying on the bed was Eric. He was wrapped up in a blanket. He was wrapped up in a _truly hideous _afghan. She crawled into bed with him and wrapped her arms around him. He woke for just a moment.

"Lover, is there something wrong?" His voice was quiet with sleep.

"No, I just needed to be near you. Eric, this blanket, it's"

"Shh, it is my memento. I will keep it always." He wrapped the blanket around the both of them and she rested her head against his body.

"I love you, Eric"

"I love you too".


End file.
